The Lost Weekend (1945)

“Delirium is a disease of the night.” Bim

Paramount didn’t want to make a film that depicted such a depressing subject, thinking it would be a sure loser, but Director Billy Wilder persuaded them to take a chance on the story of an alcoholic on a four-day binge. In retrospect, it was lucky Paramount decided to trust Wilder’s judgment; they ended up with a real classic - four Academy Awards - and a film that still holds all its impact today, sixty years later.

The Lost Weekend concerns four days in the life of Don Birnam (Ray Milland) a failed writer who drowns his sorrows in liquor. It takes a quart of rye a day to stifle his frustrations. Don lives in NY with his brother, Wick (Phillip Terry) who is taking him to the country for the weekend to recover from his latest binge. But Don, displaying the feral cunning of a true alcoholic, manages to evade the trip and spends the four days on a drunken spree, lies, cheats, steals, gets locked in the alcoholic ward of Bellevue Hospital, escapes, experiences the D.T.s, and nearly manages to end his life before the weekend draws to an end.

Billy Wilder had read the Charles Jackson novel on a long train ride from New York to Los Angeles, making notes that would become the basis for the screenplay of the film. The tale is told in a straightforward fashion, with an interesting series of flashbacks that become a play-within-a-play, like Hamlet, where Don Birnam recites his (unwritten) novel to the local bartender in exchange for keeping his glass filled with rye. The bartender, Nat (Howard DaSilva - Sergeant York) doesn’t seem to like Don much, but nonetheless abets him in his quest to stay intoxicated, as most of the other characters do, also. I can understand his fascination, though, as Don weaves incredible stories when under the influence.

Ray Milland (Beau Geste) had been a light comedy actor, along the lines of Cary Grant, prior to Lost Weekend, but he displayed an uncanny talent in laying bare the soul of an alcoholic for all the world to see. All the lying, stealing, tall stories, mood swings, and fear of discovery are put across with aplomb. The result was a well-deserved Best Actor Oscar, as well as Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay, making it a Grand Slam. Pretty impressive for a film Paramount didn’t want to make in the first place.

The supporting cast consists of solid players from Hollywood’s golden age; Jane Wyman (then Reagan’s wife) as Helen St. James, Birnam’s long suffering girl friend; Phillip Terry as the alcoholic’s equally long suffering brother; Howard DaSilva as the bartender, Nat; and Frank Faylen ( Gunfight at OK Corral) as the effeminate yet sinister male nurse Bim. All of the cast did admirably in their roles, and Wilder’s direction kept the story moving along at a pace that keeps you on edge.

Lost Weekend is shot in the German Expressionist style that is often associated with film noir, with plenty of shadows and revealing camera angles. The cinematography is courtesy of John F. Seitz, who also collaborated with Wilder in the excellent Sunset Boulevard and Double Indemnity, one of the very best films noir. Music was by the old master Miklos Rosza, and featured a theremin - the instrument that makes the weird sound in all the fifties sci-fi films.

The Universal DVD is presented in black and white, in full frame (1.33:1) theatrical format. It is sad that the special features only consist of the trailer and a few production notes and bios, but The Lost Weekend is certainly a film that every film buff needs to see. Drama fans will love this one. Do not watch when depressed, however!

Thanks for reading.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening